In the Hands of Justice
by BrutalLesbionesty
Summary: Something was taken from Death, and she's willing to offer a reward to get it back. She requests thirteen heroes and offers three miracles among other rewards. Thirteen heroes who may never return if they say yes, and it's all up to Dick Grayson to say yes or no. Staying objective isn't easy when Wally West is offered as one of those miracles. Hopefully he doesn't doom them all.


**Author's Note:** _So this is a very experimental fic dealing with darker psychological themes as well as trying to create a "happy ending" and set up a universe. We'll see how it goes I guess! Several pairings in this fic as well as the explorations of characters and their relationships and sexuality in general. Including Birdflash, Snaibel, Bluepulse, Boostle, Connor/Confusion, and one of my all time favorite DC pairings Constantine/Self Hatred and many other's I don't feel like tagging. Please favorite and review!_

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 **Prologue: O'Death**

He had come to them as a strange outlier. A small being plucked from one of the many universes of existence and raised to be something greater than all of them. She had watched in weary acceptance and anticipation as another of her siblings had chosen an ending for them self. Death had found some comfort in Dream choosing his in a noble sacrifice rather than running away from his responsibilities to the crutch of mortality like _some_ of her siblings. From his sacrifice David was born. Figuratively. Literally he was born of flesh and blood from the womb of Lyta Hall.

The moment she had sensed that shard of her dear brother's soul she had felt her own lift. Within David a piece of dream still lived on. A spiritual reincarnation of Dream in this mortal child the Destiny later came to declare would take his place. The others had varied reactions, but Death had felt nothing but joy to welcome her new little brother. She had plucked him from the mortal realm of his earth once he was old enough and welcomed him into the embrace of The Endless. He both was and wasn't Dream. He was David and upon his ascension named himself The Sandman. And she loved him even more once he stood with her and the rest of his new siblings.

In her cold pale hands she molded him and guided him into their world. Showed him the responsibilities and lead him down the path to his throne. Oh how precious and excited he was! Curious as he stared in the ether and saw the dreams of all mortal mean across all earths around him. He reached for a few, his young face lighting up in glee as he stare at an aurora colored sphere containing the dream of a young highschool girl in a relatively mundane earth. An innocent vision of another girl whose kisses tasted like bubblegum and a lake the sun sparkled perfectly on.

Death had curled her hands on his shoulder and cooed softly as she watched with him.

" _So sweet and simple aren't they?"_

Her wretched curse and greatest gift. Her love for all of the living rivaled only by her sense of duty to bring their end. He had paid no mind to that, only smiled and oh so gently put the dream back in place and whispered a congratulations to the dreamer.

No one could have been more worthy of Dream's throne.

Destiny and Desire both warned them. Destiny with his gentle wisdom, and desire with soft and sweet words that hid their biting tone and the look of disapproval on their beautiful shifting face. Do not coddle him they both said. Do not let him stray or be held back by his humanity. It will spell danger for us all.

How easy it had been to fall prey to her own arrogance. She was the end of all, the great equalizer, and the bringer of final peace to all beings. What a fool she was.

David had remained curious and drawn to humanity, more so than even herself, even after he took the name Sandman. Watching them and slipping into their dreams to play and converse with them. He saw many worlds, and many alternate versions of each. Undoubtedly his favorites were always the ones where he could visit Diana Prince or Shayera. His grandmothers in his world. Sometimes. Carter Hall and Steve Trevors in their various incarnations also tended to receive the same joyous visits from their could have been grandson.

Death did not have the heart to interfere. Nor did she see a need. What sort of trouble could really happened after all? Famous last words as mortals were want to say.

It had been in the dream of a version of Diana Prince that it happened. In a world that almost revolved around it's younger heroes and had been laced with equal wisps of triumph and tragedy. He had crawled into this Diana's dream smiling and excited as always to see another version of his grandmother. A dream of Themyscira and it's warm beaches. He had disguised himself in the background. Another Amazon among dozens Diana's dream self would hardly notice.

He had run along the beaches dipping his feet in the waters among the others Diana recreated in her dream. When another figment of the dream had seemed to act out of turn.

" _You shouldn't be here."_

A woman with dark hair and clay colored skin had spoken to him. She looked different from the other figments. Tattoos marked all over her body up her legs and arms and even her neck. A single plain dress with no sleeves wrapped around her form. Her hand had reached out and grabbed him. The facade of the red haired amazon he'd put up fading to give way to his more ethereal form, reflective of the sands he named himself after with a young face indented in them twisted into shock.

" _Foolish boy."_

And then she was gone, and so was the Sandman. David was gone. Death had felt the loss and clutched at the dream he had fled to. In anguish she screamed feeling it resonate in the world he had been taken in with no regard for the consequences of it and shattered the dream. Few in existence could say they had invoked the wrath of Death. This woman was now part of a very exclusive club in that matter. She wasted no time. She emerged in the earth she knew the woman was tied to, and marched forward.

Death found herself with a true physical form for the first time in awhile, in a forest of all things. Ink colored hair brushing down on paper white shoulders and impossibly silver eyes staring out into this earth. She has not visited this one before, but it seems modern enough. She opts for plain black leather wrapped around her torso and a black skirt flowing away in the wind with no shoes to separate her feet from the grass a silver ankh ring on her middle finger. Thirteen lilies as white as her skin clutched gently in her hands.

She stepped forward in the soft grass. Briefly she enjoyed the life around her, careful not to disturb it. Her graceful steps and neutral expression betrayed the rage and destruction she bore. She would find this witch, and end her.

The second the thought passed in her mind she felt the breeze swirl around her, swaying her new strands of hair with it. It tickled her face and she almost smiled at the feeling. Almost. She hummed instead not turning to address her siblings.

"You can not stop me," She said more amused than forceful and a small smirk crawling up her face. "Not by force at least. But then again you know that...so what do you intend to offer me? What will Destiny and Desire give to Death to quell her fury?" An age old form of teasing between them turned into something more sinister.

"Sister," Destiny spoke. His voice strong and wise. "This is too dangerous. You are not meant to take life directly this way...if you go down this path, what is to keep you from continuing down it for all eternity?"

"Does the universe really need death to start mowing people down?" Desire kicked in. Their voice taking on an inbetween of masculine and feminine. "You want David back we get it. Be smart about this though!"

She slowly turned to face them. The lilies in her hand wilting slightly. Which is how she knew they're right. She was out of control. She returned the life to the flowers and placed them on the ground. The stems planted themselves in the ground and again became fully bloomed flora.

Destiny was wrapped in his grey robes hiding all but the pale bottom half of his face and his elegant hands, while Desire had taken a more human form. A beautiful androgynous human with light brown skin and thick, dark curls of hair in stylish clothing that wrapped tightly around broad shoulders and wide hips.

"You didn't answer my question," Death said. "What will you offer me?"

Her answer was given in the form of cards falling from Destiny's sleeve and riding the breeze until they fell at her feet. They all landed face up with the images of various tarots altered into the shapes of mortals of this world. She held out her hands and they fly into them from the ground.

"I see," Death nodded in understanding. "A prophecy."

Desire was the one who wore a smirk now. "Not so simple sister. This transgression, even if done on behalf of our dear sweet new brother, will unfortunately require you to put a bit of effort in to make up for it."

Destiny spoke up and if his eyes were visible he might be glaring at their brasher sibling. "What they mean is that you must consider that all acts, all states of being boil down to an exchange sister. You must be willing to trade with the people you seek help from."

Death again nodded. "I have an idea for that. I am not petty enough to let my ego stand in the way of this. What I offer may not be enough for one of these however." She looked back to a specific card. "Other versions of him have not been pleasant to run into in the past."

"Then as a favor let me handle him," Desire's face twisted into a cheshire grin. "I do so love my mortal interactions."

"Then go," Death said narrowing her eyes. A snap of their fingers and a wisp of multiple colors and Desire had vanished.

She clutched the cards in her hands and sat on the grass. Her stare unreadable and unfocused. Even as Destiny addressed her again.

"Would you allow me to wait with you sister?"

She chuckled. "I think there might be some comfort in having Destiny at my side right now."

He towered over her perfectly still and foreboding as she peered at her cards again. Twelve cards depicting thirteen heroes.

 _Bartholomew Allen and Jaime Reyes._

 _Richard Grayson._

 _Zatanna Zatara._

 _Timothy Drake._

 _Conner Kent._

 _Michael Carter._

 _Jason Todd._

 _John Constantine._

Then there were the last three. Her trump cards to collect all but one of the others without a fight. Her miracles.

 _Ted Kord._

 _Tula of Atlantis._

 _Wally West._

Death smiled.


End file.
